Talk of poll delay worries Sistani

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Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most powerful Shiite leader, is growing increasingly concerned that nationwide elections could be delayed, his aides said, and has even threatened to withdraw his support for the elections unless changes are made to increase the representation of Shiites.

His aides contacted Lakhdar Brahimi, the former Algerian foreign minister who brokered the agreement to hold the elections, to express concern that voting might be delayed, according to Hamid Khaffaf, one of Ayatollah Sistani's top advisers.

Another source close to the negotiations said that Ayatollah Sistani had asked Mr Brahimi to return to Iraq to try to deal with his concerns.

Ayatollah Sistani is concerned that the nascent democratic process in Iraq is falling under the control of a handful of the largest political parties, which co-operated with the US occupation and are comprised largely of exiles.

In particular, these sources say, Ayatollah Sistani is worried about discussions under way among those parties to form a single ticket for the January elections. He believes that would limit the choices of voters and smother smaller political parties.

The Ayatollah, who earlier this year sent tens of thousands of Iraqis into the streets to demand early elections, is said to be worried that a so-called "consensus list" of candidates being discussed among the larger political parties would artificially limit the power of the Shiites, who are in the majority.

Under an agreement reached among exile groups in the early 1990s, the Shiites were said to comprise about 55 per cent of the population.

Ayatollah Sistani, the sources say, believes that the Shiite population has swelled since then and therefore would be under-represented on any single list based on a 55 per cent figure.

Ayatollah Sistani also expressed concern that the Iraqi Government, possibly under US pressure, would postpone the elections under the pretext that the anarchical conditions that prevail over much of the country would make the results illegitimate, the sources said.

"If he sees that what this is leading to is unfair and unfree elections, then he will not take part in it," an Iraqi close to Ayatollah Sistani said. "He will declare the elections to be illegitimate."

Since the Americans toppled Saddam Hussein, Ayatollah Sistani has largely stayed away from engaging in the minutiae of partisan politics, but he has aggressively pushed for democratic elections as soon as possible.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he doubted legitimate elections could be carried out in the current environment.

In New York to build international support for his government, Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said the rise in the number and ferocity of terror attacks by insurgents was proof they were getting not stronger, but weaker. "They are becoming more deadly because we think they are getting more desperate," Dr Allawi said.

"We think they are on the defensive rather than on the offensive," he said.